zuniparty

let me say first - the zunigas are not good at parties. our strengths do not lie in planning, cleaning, or entertaining. we always second guess ourselves (did we plan it on the right day? did we buy enough food? what do people like to drink?) so, going into hosting our "meet the baby" party, we were prepared for disaster.

july 2nd (party prep day) came along and there was cooking, beer-buying, sangria making, and cleaning taking place - all while holding a squirming, fussy 7 week old who seemed to be extra grumpy (or were we just extra busy?). our lovely friends invited bez to spend the night at their house, so we could prep, which made the prep so much easier.

the menu:

pasta salad (homemade)

fancy sausages (trader joes!)

chips (potato and tortilla)

guacamole and salsa (homemade)

berry salad (nature made)

yellow cake cupcakes with strawberry frosting (awesome easy recipe)

artichoke dip (homemade)

on july 3rd (a weird day for a party - i said we were bad planners) - the day was here. we told our friends to show up anytime between 1pm and 6pm. not sure what to expect (will people come all at once? will everyone come late? will everyone flake? will everything be ready on time?) what a surprise that none of that mattered. people came in shifts, so we could catch up with old friends (tony's roommate from 10 years ago!), new friends and enjoy the food and people at our house. there were lots of arms for baby-holding and lots of babies! there were breaks for nursing (a total of 4 breastfeeding babies), pregnant friends and slip and sliding in true seattle fashion. 60 degrees? no problem, just sit in the sun until you stop shivering. the older babies held hands and played on the floor, while the big kids played soccer in the backyard.

at the end of the day, we realized what a nice, interesting, and friendly group of people we know. we realized that there are people we are so glad to know well, people we want to reconnect with, and new people we want to get to know better. we realized that maybe we aren't so bad at this afterall.